Posted
by
Zonkon Friday January 26, 2007 @03:44PM
from the not-just-mario dept.

The Computer and Videogames site touched base with Nintendo in the wake of an interview with a game company in Game Informer magazine, to check up on their plans for original content on the Wii. A marketing director from Hudson Entertainment stated in GI that the Wii would feature a new games channel for downloadable games, and CVG wanted to follow up on the claim. Nintendo's response was that while they haven't decided on the specific method by which they'll be offering the games online, downloadable original content is definitely in the cards for the console's future. No timeframe was given for this content, but it is reassuring to have this piece of the Wii puzzle reaffirmed by the company.

That, and most of the PopCap games, would be far more suited to the DS than the Wii. Not saying they shouldn't, but maybe they would see a bigger ROI on a DS-multipack of games including Bookworm, Bejeweled (1, 2, and 3 if it's done soon), and a few others. I'd pay $30 for those two(-ish) and 3 others on the DS.

If there's one thing that the Wii downloadable content doesn't need right now, it's more shoot em ups.

Funny thing is I have been CRAVING these types of games for a long time, and was pissed they stopped being popular. The first few I bought right away, but even now I'm like... Ok guys... Space these out a little and bring some more Genres in... How about a strait up traditional RPG?

I've been in love with shmups for ages. Ever since the first time I played Gradius I was hooked. I've got a pretty nice back-catalog and I can honestly say that my appetite hasn't been sated. What I need to do is pick up a PS2 for R-Type: Final and Gradius V. Though I remember not liking Gradius V because the options pissed me off (only four on screen at once, other gripes).

I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing some newer, graphics intense shmups. Though I still cannot beat Ikaruga on any difficulty setting

Gradius V is considerably harder than Ikaruga. Also, if you like R-Type, you can also get R-Type Delta and R-Types (arcade R-Type I and R-Type II) for the PS/PS2. They're all great. There's also a good Gradius III & IV compilation, and the arcade Gradius III is quite a bit different from the SNES one in terms of enemy placement and speed.

Shmups are a popular indie genre in Japan, at least 50% of the indie ("dojin") games are shmups. Some are freeware like Kenta Cho's games [asahi-net.or.jp], Cho Ren Sha [3web.ne.jp] and Galax [so-net.ne.jp]. For the rest you can go through Palet [paletweb.com] or Himeya [himeyashop.com] (Dojin section), look for games in the catalog and paste the name of the game or developer into Google, often there are playable demos available.

I don't have a Wii yet, but I want to get one. I've heard for some time now from a Nintendo rep that I used to work with (I was a salesman at a local electronics store) that Nintendo was supposed to offer a lot of the original stuff for download. While there are several original games I would love to be able to play again, including Duck Hunt, and the original Zelda, the one main game I would like to see released in its original form with the only difference being more players per map, is Goldeneye 64. Out

Sadly, that's really not very likely at all as Rare, the company that made GoldenEye is currently owned by Microsoft, and (as far as I understand it) they have more of a hold on that than Donkey Kong Country as that was made with Nintendo's IP.

The IP is another issue as I believe the license for James Bond games currently lies with EA.

So sadly the chances of seeing that or Perfect Dark, another excellent N64 shooter made by Rare, on the Wii are slim to none:(

While there are several original games I would love to be able to play again, including Duck Hunt, and the original Zelda, the one main game I would like to see released in its original form with the only difference being more players per map, is Goldeneye 64.

Parts of the copyright in GoldenEye 007, first published on the Nintendo 64 console, are owned by Nintendo, Microsoft (owner of Rare and manufacturer of a competing console), and EA Games (current licensee of James Bond video game franchise). It's likely that Microsoft won't agree to a release through Virtual Console on Wii unless Nintendo agrees to a simultaneous release through Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360.

i knew that EA had some licensing on Goldeneye 64, but i did not know that mico$oft does. That pisses me off, not just because of the fact that it probably won't get released on the Wii, but more imporantly because mico$oft just had to go and soil an all time favorite of mine, and one of the best fps games ever made. Damn micro$oft. I pray for the day that they go under. Sure, I know its likely to hapen, but hey, i can pray and dream about it. can't i.

Well... why not? It'll just be more revenue for both companies, quite possibly skimming very little off of each other. GoldenEye, alone, is not likely going to decide the fate of a purchase, one way or another, it's just another $10 in Nintendo's pocket, and another game they can show off. If they both own rites to it, why not just call a truce and release them on their separate systems. Everyone's been speculating about this, but I've yet to see anything from the companies themselves that suggest it going

A second issue is that law demands us to sacrifice freedom for security. "I give up my freedom to kill people so that they don't kill me" (i.e. murder is illegal) seems to be an essential commandment in every society. Rephrasing it to "essential" fixes this issue.

Is there something personally wrong with me if I don't get excited about Zelda: Link to the Past?

I mean, I enjoyed it when I played it back in ~94, 95, somewhere around then. Great game. But I always hear people saying, in essence, "OMG ZELDA IS SO AWESOME" about any one in the serious, I feel like I'm missing something somehow.

Fun game? Sure. Drop everything for the chance to play it in a new format... I don't see it.

Nintendo has always suggested that original online content would be distributed through the Virtual Console; in fact they commented that it would allow games like "Tetris" to be viable (from a development perspective) again.

Actually playing games online? Who knows!

It has been confirmed that Pokemon Battle Revolution and Battalion Wars are both online games produced by Nintendo, and that the necessary libriaries have been made available to third party developers.

The wii has somewhat 25 games of them 3-4 are really good 10 good and the rest is the usual shovelware. Add to that a few hundred games from the cube lineup and around 20 virtual console games, and you can see those, Zelda now what people simple do not look at what is there!

I bought it an enjoy it. But I remember liking multiplayer in the SNES version (can't remember if it was #1 or #2) much much better.

What I'd really like is a revamped SNES version with full online play. Just gussy up the graphics, add in online functions and keep the gameplay mechanics the same. Oh, and add some more GOOD boards. If they're not good, don't even bother. I'd pay $50 for something like this.

What's wrong with the oldie-but-goodie Bomberman '93 now available for download

IMO the absolute best of the Bomberman series was Bomberman '94. Sadly it was only available in Japan, which means no VC release in North America. (Wake up Nintendo, lots of money to be made here at no cost!)

I actually bought '93 on VC thinking it was '94, serves me right for not double-checking in an emulator before buying...:)

Allowing for downloadable original content for the Wii always seemed more a matter of "When" rather than a matter of "If". I wonder how accessible development kits will be for those interested in getting involved with this stuff. Moreover, I'd be interested to see what sort of breakdown pops up in indie games between traditional control schemes, and going the motion-sensitive route. In any case, I'm pretty excited to see what sort of fresh projects start popping up on the Wii in the future, and how they will compare and contrast to that available for download on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

I wonder how accessible development kits will be for those interested in getting involved with this stuff.

If your company does not yet have experience developing for video game consoles, then you'll need to start by obtaining incorporation papers, a detached office in leased space, and a published title on the Microsoft Windows platform.

If your company does not yet have experience developing for video game consoles, then you'll need to start by obtaining incorporation papers, a detached office in leased space, and a published title on the Microsoft Windows platform.

Actually, I used to run a games company as a sole-proprietorship. To dev for the Wii you don't need Windows. You can use your garage (I used my basement).

I used Windows as an example of an open platform on which one can demonstrate skills using GCC and a graphics API to develop video games. The others are Mac OS X and Linux, but due to the smaller market share, it is more difficult to recover expenses through donations or registrations if a developer does not port a product to Windows.

You can use your garage (I used my basement).

What you say contradicts Nintendo's stated policy [warioworld.com]: "an authorized developer must have a stable business organization with secure office facilities, equipment, personnel

Some statement from a Nintendo rep sounded like they offer a downsized dev kit for developing those downloadable games. Probably because they aren't worried about people buying devkits instead of consoles so they can play burned discs (or using the dev kit to develop a mod chip).

Seeing as the Virtual Console doesn't offer any games that really make proper use of the intuitive controls of the Wiimote, I would think that many non-gamers would brush it off as irrelevant. Seriously, your gramps may love Wii bowling, but I don't think R-Type is going to work for him. However, with original content, it's time for Nintendo to get their wheels rolling on some things that will attract the non-gamer crowd. There's load of possibilities. All of these board and puzzle games can be readily exploited and actually make more sense to some people who use a Wiimote.

OTOH, I see more online multiplayer titles as a smart move. The console is lacking the online support it needs ATM, and I think some original titles could help give it a much needed boost. There is a lot of potential, so let's see if Nintendo does the right things with it.

There's load of possibilities. All of these board and puzzle games can be readily exploited and actually make more sense to some people who use a Wiimote. OTOH, I see more online multiplayer titles as a smart move.

I agree. If they bring online Monopoly, Risk, Uno... or other games casual players might have played already, it would go very far.

I'm not too sure about that, the Wii appeals to many people other consoles don't because it's simple to use, not just because of the motion stuff. Old games are often simple enough to use the dpad and one or two buttons. People like my parents didn't have a problem with the Atari 2600 but newer consoles have too many buttons for them. VC games would be simple enough for them.

For some very cool free content (games!) for the Wii, Opera internet browsers should bookmark this place: WiiFii.net [wiifii.net]. It's a very cool second home with a bunch of flash games (including that cool SLED game) playable through the Opera browser.

My plea to Sega is the following: You, Sega (SegaSoft) needs to update and release a WiiConnect24-capable and local multi-player capable version of the classic game Rocket Jockey [wikipedia.org] for the Wii.

The control system alone is PERFECT for the Wiimote's balancing act, not to mention the kicking surf guitar soundtrack and classic retro style.

Please let Sega know about this perfect game that they already own. I'm on the verge of starting a letter writing campaign.

Hell yes!
Rocket Jockey is one of my favorite games of all time. I would absolutely love to see it reincarnated in any format. For a while, I seem to recall that there was a Rocket Jockey mod in development for UT2K4, but it evaporated (a shame).
On the positive side, apparently somebody's started remaking it [solar-ray.org]. Unfortunately, it's currently a solo effort. We must all pitch in and help, lest this effort, too, fall by the wayside!

I still have my disc, unfortunately the installer demands to install dx3. I did it on an old install of 98 a couple of years ago cause I was sick of not being able to play it. I remember sega released a network patch but never got to try that.

This game was so fun single player, I could only imagine playing this multiplayer. The multiplayer is lan only. I wonder how well it works over the net. I used to have a kali account way back in the day for games like this. What could be used current day to play this over the net?

I played it at a lan party. It was fun, but horrifically one-sided. Once you're off your rocket, you're toast - you spend the rest of the game being torn to shreds by the other players. The "Sport" mode worked much nicer... and as always, the race mode is painfully hard.

There is still the important question of where are these downloadable games going to go? The internal memory isn't much to work with, and has basically eliminated any chance of getting Wii game demos via download, at least I see it that way.

Nothing can directly be accessed from a sd card aside from photos, which either tells me that there are no big plans for the download service, or a hdd is planned for release in the future.

Well, at the current time. I can't imagine it would take more than a software patch to do so. They're probably holding off on it because they want to make 100% no fooling deadly serious sure there's no hole or exploit that would let someone load their own code.

NES and SNES games wouldn't take more than a meg each, hell SNES game carts were only 4 megabits (half a MB) max. N64 games could be bigger (up to 64 MB) so you might have to do something different for them.

Most NES games were 256 kilobytes or less, some of the later titles were 512KB and Dragon Warrior 4 is 1MB. SNES games were not limited to 4 megabits, Zelda 3 is 8Mb and later games like Mortal Kombat 3, Chrono Trigger were as large as 32Mb.

VC games are a lot larger then a plain ROM dump, most likly due to the manual, emulator and whatever they add to it. Somebody who own Wii can probably post the exact numbers, but from what I remember they are all in the range of 10-20MB, even old SNES and NES games.

I'm pretty sure it is just a ROM dump with a good emulator built into the Wii. I cant give exact numbers, since its measured in "blocks", but there are no manuals, no additional content, nothing. The only thing i've seen different so on any of the 5 VC games i bought so far is on Super Mario 64, white lettering on a black screen "You must have the classic controller connected to play this game.", and thats the only game i have that requires it.

Did some research on my own, what I found is this (somebody who actually has a Wii feel free to correct me):Wii itself has 512MB flash RAM and ~2100 free blocks.A 2GB SD Kart provides ~16384 free blocks.F-Zero is 99 blocks large.DonkeyKong is 19 blocks large.

This means that one block is 128kbytes large and in turn it means that the Wii reserves around half its Flash content for non-user stuff (firmware and such). If that block size is correct it means that F-Zero is 12MB large while the plain ROM dump shou

Actually, the SNES had two games -- Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean -- that were 48 Mb (or 6 MB). There were also a decent number of 32 Mb games, and quite a few 16 and 24 Mb ones. In fact, 4 Mb is the smallest size I'm aware of, and the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Super Mario World.

Well, actually, you can save games onto an SD card (I know, I've done it). You can't play them off of there, but you can still re-load them into your Wii. Sure, it's an extra step, but it's not the end of the world. And like others are saying, it would probably only take a simple patch to do so.Furthermore, expect anything above SNES level to be released on disc. The Wii downloads part of the VC is basically there for doing new games that are similar to classic games, in their content: arcade games, sequels

You can copy them onto a memory card. You can't play them from the memory card, but you can transfer them back and forth between the main memory and memory card. You can then take them onto a PC and back them up onto CD.

Come on, you KNOW you want to play snood on your wii. I could imagine tilting the wiimote to control the angle of the shot, or even using the pointer functionality to aim. Either way, ninty needs to get off their butts and license snood for wii PRONTO.

I'd never seen bust-a-move before, but i definitely see the similarities. That said, I'd be willing to throw 5-10 bucks at the virtual console to play snood for the wii... I don't think I'd plunk down 50 bucks for a similar concept, even if it does have a bunch of slick graphics and extra options.

If you like snood you should also get Frozen Bubble [frozen-bubble.org], a free open-source version of bust-a-move. It looks and plays really well, I played through all 100 levels last night in fact...

It's controlled with the keyboard but if you have bluetooth and a wii remote you could get a tilt control version going on your PC with some hacking around.

Or you could play the java in-browser version [sanson.free.fr], it might even work in Opera on the Wii already.